Software architecture for managing multiple residential services
The architecture of the TORRENT platform can be viewed by both implementers and users as a series of functional layers. The Physical layer describes the interfaces and links between access points and gateways, as well as the hardware itself. The Linux-based Operating System layer includes extensions developed by the project team such as for packet-handling. The Support layer also provides packet-handling functionality, interfaces for applications programming and user interaction, and a software agent platform compliant with the Foundation of Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) standards. The intelligent software agents form the basis of the Decision layer, with a Reactive sub-layer for policy, session and call management, and a Proactive sub-layer for negotiation and policy creation. The SRM architecture also holds customer preferences, profiles and service level agreements (SLAs) in databases, along with call and session records for accounting. Accounts and billing management is thus integrated with session and call management. Concurrency and locking problems are avoided by providing a communications path between software agents and operating system kernel, using Linux-based virtual files and Netfilter functionality. Based on these structures, the architecture provides for security and availability, ease of installation and use, flexible pricing and fault diagnosis and management. Potential partners for further development, public-private partnerships and marketing agreements are sought among venture capitalists and SMEs.